Optical spectroscopy and excited state dynamics of CaMoO4:Pr3+

The luminescence properties of CaMoO4:Pr3+ have been investigated in different experimental conditions in order to obtain information on the excitation and de-excitation pathways of this system. The structure of the emission spectrum depends on different factors: excitation conditions, doping level, temperature, etc. In addition, measurements carried out on single crystals and on micro- or nano-crystalline powders obtained by solid state reaction and sol–gel method have revealed that the morphology of the sample, and then the concentration of the lattice defects, strongly influences the excitation mechanism. These effects have been analysed in the light of available models and a general scheme accounting for the experimental observations has been proposed. - Graphical abstract: A general scheme is proposed in order to account for the complex dependence of the luminescence properties of the CaMoO4:Pr3+ system on the experimental parameters including excitation wavelength, temperature, doping concentration, etc.▪ Highlights: ► Emission spectra of CaMoO4:Pr3+ have been measured in different conditions. ► Effects of the interaction between host and Pr3+ ions have been explored. ► A 'host+active ion' scheme allows to account for the experimental observations.